Artificial minnow and method of making same



n. P. RYAN. ART IFICIAL MINNOW AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26. 1920.

1,402,798. Patented Jan. 10,1922

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UNITED, STATES PAT NT OFFICE.

DENNIS P. RYAN, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

Anzrxrrcmr. minnow AND mmnon or MAKING- smn I To all whom it mayconcern:

Beit known that I DENNIS P. RYAN, a citizen of the United States, and aresident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have madean Invention Appertaining to Artificial Minnows and Methods of MakingSame; and Ido hereby declare the following. to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to use and make thesame, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates .to artificial minnows and particularly to thoseof the animated type adapted to simulate the swimming movements of liveminnows.

An object of the invention is the provision of a simple and improvedminnow of the class described, which is strong and durable in itsconstruction and which is capable of having the parts thereof. assembledin an easg and rapid manner.

' further object of the invention is the provision of a simple andeflicient'method of manufacturing minnows of the character described. I

The invention is fully described in the following specification, andwhile, in its broader aspect, it is capable of embodiment in numerousforms, a preferred embodiment thereof is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a minnow embodyingthe invention, with the customary hooks removed therefrom. Fig. 2 is abottom view thereof. Figs. 3 and 4 are side and end views of the buoyantbody member of the minnow before being severed into sections, and Fig. 5is a side elevation of the jointed skeleton frame of the minnow.

Referring to the drawings, 1, 2 and 3 designate the head, intermediateand tail sections, respectively, of the skeleton frame of a minnowembodying the invention, which sections may be formed of sheet metal, orother suitable strong material, and are pro vided at their adjacent endswith sets of perforated lugs 4 through which pivot bolts; screws, orpins 5 may be inserted to hingedly connect the several sections. Thelower ed e contour of the sections preferably assume tfie bottom contourof a minnow. The top edge of the sections from near the front end of ISpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June as, 1920. Serial No. 892,040.

Patented Jan.

the frame to a point, in the present instance, on the tail section nearits inner end, is preferably made straight, as shown in Fig. 5, The noseof the head section 1 is provided with an eye 6 to which a draft linemay be attached. The sections may also be provided with one Or moreerforated lugs 7 at the lower edges thereof for attaching hooks, suchlugs, in the present instance, being shown as two in number, with oneadjacent to the forward end of each of the two rear sections.

, The body of the minnow, which is com- I posed of wood or othersuitable buoyant material adapted to float in water, in its originalform is shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and deslgnated 8. This body is ofcircular form in cross-section and gradually reducesto a point at eachend with the forward end thereof more rapidly reducing in size. Thisbody is sawed or otherwise suitably provided with a slit 9 lengthwisethereof in its underside, which slit extends to near the topof the bodywith the base of the slit in straight form, as indicated by the dottedlines in Fig.3. The body is also provided vertically therethrough atproperly spaced intervals with front and rear holes 10 and 11 spaced tocorrespond to the space of the joints of the frame.

In assembling the parts of the minnow the frame sections 1, 2 and 3 arefirst joined together and then inserted into the slit 8 of the'bodymember with the joints of the frame disposed in the respectiveholes 10 and 11 of the body, the body being then secured to each of theframe sections by rivets 12, or in any other suitable manner. The framesections are preferably made of a thin soft metal so that body securingnails or brads may be easily driven therethrough. With the parts thusassembled the line securing eye 6 projects from the nose portion of thebody and the hook attaching lugs 7 project below the underside of thebody.

-The outer end of the tail section also prothe rear end of each sectionlaps the front endof the adjoining section in the manner of a V there'byobstructing the vision crosswise of the minnow through the joints and atthe same time permitting. suflicient relative pivotal movements of thesections to en able the minnow to have a wiggllng movement through thewater to simulate the swimming movement of a minnow. In iointed minnowsheretofore used, so far as am aware, the openings at the joints providea ,substantially straight opening through a minnow crosswise thereof sothat light will shine therethrough and cause the artificial minnow tohave an unnatural appearance to live minnows swimming around the same.

I wish it understood thatmy invention is not limited to the specificform, arrangement or construction of the parts shown, or to the methodof assembling the same, as it is capable of numerous modifications andchanges without departing from the spirit of the claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is,-

1. An artificial minnow having a plurality of flat skeleton framesections successively joined for relative pivotal movements in a planetransverse to the flat, faces of the sections, a portion of the sectionsat least having a straight top edge, and buoyant .split body sectionsstraddling and fixedto the frame sections with the straight edges of thelatter disposed in the base portions of the body section splits.

it encompasses, and then removing portions of the body member at eachside of the skeleton frame in register with the joints to' separate thebody memberinto sections to permit them to have pivotal movements withthe respective frame sections relative to the other sections.

"3. The method ofmanufacturing artificial minnows which consists inhingedly connecting flat skeleton frame sections for relative lateralpivotal movements transverse to the face plates of the sections,providing a buoyant body member in its under side with a longitudinalslit extending from end to end thereof and providing vertical holes atintervals through the body member in register with the slit, insertingthe skeleton frame into the body member slit with the joints thereofdisposed in the, holes of the body member, fixing the body member toeach frame section which it encompassesand then cutting the body memberat each side thereof forwardly and inwardly to the respective framejoints to separate the body member into sections corresponding to theframe sections to permit relative lateral pivotal movements of theminnow sections.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name to thisspecification.

DENNIS P. RYAN.

